Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:1-3)

The object of our love, worship and honor is God, our Heavenly Father. Because we love God, we obey Him by honoring our earthly fathers and mothers. The principle of honor to our earthly fathers is enshrined in the Fifth Commandment, which appropriately appears as the bridge between our duties to God and our duties to man found in the two tables of the Law. Jesus Christ identifies the importance of the Fifth Commandment to individual and cultural blessing by pointing out that this among all the commands of God is the first command with a solemn promise attached — when sons and daughters honor their parents, it will be well with them and they will live long in the land given to them by God. Whenever there is a true revival of love to God the Father, there is a corollary revival of honor under God to our earthly fathers (and mothers!).

On this Father’s Day I want to encourage you to love your Heavenly Father by honoring your earthly father. May God help us to rebuild a multi-generational culture of biblical honor for ourselves and for our posterity that it may be well for us and that we may live long in our land. Towards this end the following poem is offered for our beloved fathers.

The Patriarch

More noble than the valiant deeds of shining knights of yore,
More powerful than earthly plights that make the rich man poor,
More kingly than a royal throne or a lion with his pride,
Is he whose babes sleep well at night sure Daddy will provide.

There is a spirit in this land and Jezebel’s her name.
She’s calling you to leave your home for power, fun, and fame.
She wants your wife, your children too — she’ll never compromise,
Until your house is torn in two by listening to her lies.

But though a hundred thousand million men may fall prey to her lures,
And wives en masse leave home in search of “more fulfilling” chores,
Though preachers praise, and friends embrace, her pagan plan of death,
Stand strong and quit you like a man with every blessed breath.

Stand strong and rise, O man of God, to meet this noble call,
The battle is not new you see, it’s been here since the Fall.

Your wife is your helpmeet, my friend, and not another man’s,
So care for her and keep her far from Mistress Jezi’s plans.
Protect, provide, and give to her your undivided life,
This is the dear one of your youth, your precious bride, your wife.

And rally to those tiny ones who trust you for their care —
A lifetime spent discipling them’s a lifetime pure and rare.
For when they put their hand in yours and know a Daddy’s love,
You’re showing them a picture of the Father from above.

Look not toward worldly goal or gain, or for your liberty,
Look only into their sweet eyes to find your ministry.
Devote your heart and sacrifice and make your manly mark —
There is none so great as he who finds his call as patriarch.